59th Chicago International Film Festival
October 13—21 at the Gene Siskel Film Center
The Festival returns to the Gene Siskel Film Center this October. Now in its 59th year, the Chicago International Film Festival (ChicagoIFF) is North America’s longest-running competitive film festival, showcasing films from an impressive selection of new and established talent and celebrating the best that cinema has to offer. The festival will take place from October 11-22 at various venues around the city, with nearly 40 films and shorts programs shown right here at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
Tickets are available for purchase through the ChicagoIFF website. For support with ChicagoIFF tickets, including technical support, please visit the ChicagoIFF FAQ page or contact ticketing-info@chicagofilmfestival.com.
View festival films playing at the Film Center
Feature-Length Films
ABOUT DRY GRASSES (KURU OTLAR ÜSTÜNE)
Nuri Bilge Ceylan / Turkey, France, Germany
Saturday, October 14, 7:45 p.m.
ALIEN ISLAND (ISLA ALIEN)
Cristóbal Valenzuela / Chile, Italy
Wednesday, October 18, 2:00 p.m.
ALL HAPPY FAMILIES
Haroula Rose / USA
Friday, October 13, 5:45 p.m.
AND THE PARTY GOES ON (ET LA FÊTE CONTINUE)
Robert Guédiguian / France
Friday, October 20, 5:00 p.m.
BAD LIVING (MAL VIVER)
João Canijo / Portugal, France
Sunday, October 15, 1:45 p.m.; Monday, October 16, 3:45 p.m.
BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD BLACKBERRY
Elene Naveriani / Switzerland, Georgia
Monday, October 16, 7:30 p.m.
THE BRIDE
Myriam U. Birara / Rwanda
Thursday, October 19, 7:45 p.m.
THE BURDENED
Amr Gamal / Yemen, Sudan, Saudi Arabia
Saturday, October 14, 5:30 p.m.
THE CRIME IS MINE (MON CRIME)
François Ozon / France
Wednesday, October 18, 8:00 p.m.
THE DELINQUENTS (LOS DELINCUENTES)
Rodrigo Moreno / Argentina, Luxembourg, Brazil, Chile
Sunday, October 15, 7:15 p.m.
DEPOT – REFLECTING BOIJMANS
Sonia Herman Dolz / Netherlands
Wednesday, October 18, 5:30 p.m.
DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (NU ASTEPTA PREA MULT DE LA SFÂRSITUL LUMII)
Radu Jude / Romania, Luxembourg, France, Croatia
Saturday, October 21, 8:00 p.m.
FAMILY PORTRAIT
Lucy Kerr / USA
Monday, October 16, 6:15 p.m.
FIREDREAM (LUMBRENSUEÑO)
José Pablo Escamilla / Mexico
Monday, October 16, 8:15 p.m.
FOREMOST BY NIGHT (SOBRE TODO DE NOCHE)
Victor Iriarte / Spain, Portugal, France
Sunday, October 15, 8:00 p.m.
GOODBYE JULIA
Mohamed Kordofani / Sudan
Saturday, October 14, 12:30 p.m.
GREEN BORDER (ZIELONA GRANICA)
Agnieszka Holland / Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium
Saturday, October 21, 11:45 a.m.
A HAPPY DAY
Hisham Zaman / Norway
Friday, October 13, 8:15 p.m.
HERE
Bas Devos / Belgium
Thursday, October 19, 5:30 p.m.
HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS (DOMAKINSTVO ZA POCETNICI)
Goran Stolevski / North Macedonia, Poland, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo
Saturday, October 21, 3:00 p.m.
IN WATER (MUL-AN-E-SEO)
Hong Sangsoo / South Korea
Thursday, October 19, 8:30 p.m.
LIVING BAD (VIVER MAL)
João Canijo / Portugal, France
Sunday, October 15, 4:30 p.m.; Monday, October 16, 1:00 p.m.
THE LOVE STORIES OF LIV S. (LES HISTOIRES D'AMOUR DE LIV S.)
Anna Luif / Switzerland
Sunday, October 15, 5:45 p.m.
ONLY THE RIVER FLOWS (HE BIAN DE CUO WU)
Wi Shujun / China
Monday, October 16, 5:00 p.m.
THE PEOPLE'S JOKER
Vera Drew / USA, Canada, Scotland
Sunday, October 15, 11:30 a.m.
PICTURES OF GHOSTS (RETRATOS FANTASMAS)
Kleber Mendonça Filho / Brazil
Saturday, October 14, 2:45 p.m.
THE PROMISED LAND (BASTARDEN)
Nikolaj Arcel / Denmark, Germany, Sweden
Saturday, October 14, 12:00 p.m.; Saturday, October 21, 5:30 p.m.
SOLITUDE (TILVERUR)
Ninna Pálmadóttir / Iceland, Slovakia
Saturday, October 14, 3:15 p.m.
THE SPACE RACE
Lisa Cortés, Diego Hurtado de Mendoza / USA
Monday, October 16, 2:30 p.m.
SWEET DREAMS
Ena Sendijarević / Netherlands, Sweden, Indonesia
Wednesday, October 18, 7:45 p.m.
THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE (DAS LEHRERZIMMER)
İlker Çatak / Germany
Saturday, October 14, 5:15 p.m.
THROUGH THE NIGHT (QUITTER LA NUIT)
Delphine Girard / Belgium, Canada, France
Saturday, October 14, 8:00 p.m.
TÓTEM
Lila Avilés / Mexico, Denmark, France
Friday, October 20, 7:30 p.m.
Shorts Programs
SHORTS 2: ANIMATION – DESIRES
Thursday, October 19, 3:30 p.m.
Various directors / Argentina, Belgium, France, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, The Netherlands, USA
These animated shorts create an idiosyncratic mosaic of the difficulties, joys, enigmas, and triumphs of the human experience. Featuring works by Nienke Deutz, Osman Cerfon, Patricio Plaza, Flóra Anna Buda, Tzor Edery, Tom Prezman, Vishavjit Singh, and Ryan Westra.
SHORTS 3: AFTER DARK – TWISTED TALES & SHADOWS OF INNOCENCE
Saturday, October 21, 12:15 p.m.
Various directors / Canada, France, United States
These tense and terrifying shorts reflect how everyday life can turn into horror. Featuring works by Joséphine Darcy Hopkins, Olivia Loccisano, Stephanie Izsak, Kristine Gerolaga, Daphne Gardner, and Michael Gabriele.
SHORTS 5: DRAMA – BREAKING POINTS
Sunday, October 15, 1:00 p.m.; Friday, October 20, 3:30 p.m.
Various directors / Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, France, Qatar, Switzerland, Turkey
These powerful shorts reflect on life’s twists and turns, exploring what we do in moments of profound impact. Featuring works by Valeria Hofmann, Kasım Ördek, Anya Chirkova, Meran Ismailsoy, Jorge Cadena, and Morad Mostafa.
SHORTS 6: COMEDY – AWKWARD LAUGHS
Friday, October 13, 7:45 p.m.
Various directors / Canada, Chile, Iran, United States
The works in this program muck around the dark corners of human experience, bringing forth the darkly comedic, can’t-help-but-laugh moments that arise in difficult times. Featuring works by Daniel Sinclair, Malia Ann, Azadeh Navai, Lou Marino, Peter Collins Campbell, and Éric K. Boulianne.
BLACK PERSPECTIVES SPECIAL PROGRAM – BEYOND THE FRAME
Wednesday, October 18, 6:00 p.m.
Various directors / USA
This suite of films explores the fusion of the natural world and cultural narratives, as well as the limitless possibilities of creative expression and transcending convention. Featuring works by Bronzeville Collective and Claude-Aline T Nazaire-Miller.